


No Problem

by love_write_edit_sleep



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Fish, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Puppies, Sad!Roman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-16 19:39:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14172024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_write_edit_sleep/pseuds/love_write_edit_sleep
Summary: When the other sides are sad, Roman conjures puppies to cheer them up… But he doesn't have anyone to cheer him up… He doesn't deserve it...





	1. Patton:

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry in advance.

**** Patton sat on the couch in the living room, sniffing as he pulled his knees to his chest, wiping his tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his cat hoodie. He tried to hold back his sobs, but he couldn’t find the energy or the strength to hide it anymore. He had to cry, to get it out. He had to be sad to feel happy again.

“Patton…?” Patton gasped in surprize, looking up to see Roman standing over him with concern on his face. 

“Hey, Roman.” Patton forced a smile.

“Are you not faring well, Padre?” He asked, sitting next to the father figure.

“N-not really…” Patton confessed, wiping at his eyes again.

“Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes a companion to listen can take a weight off your cardigan-draped shoulders.” Patton giggled through a sob.

“I think it’s just a down day…” Patton sniffed. 

“A down day?” Roman asked. “Do you know what caused it?”

“Not really… I don’t really know  _ why  _ I’m sad…”

“That’s okay! Not everything has to have a reason.” Then, Roman smirked and leaned in. “Don’t tell Logan I said that.” That earned another laugh from Patton. 

“I won’t…”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t think so, Kiddo… But thank you.”

“Maybe… there’s  _ one  _ thing?” Roman winked. Patton wiped his eyes again.

“Like what?”

“Kaboom.” The effect was immediate.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!” Patton squealed, pulling the newly conjured puppy to his chest. “Thank you, Roman!”

“No problem. You may keep him until you’re your happy, pappy, Patton-y self again! Longer, if needs be!”

“Aw, Roman!” Patton threw his arms around the creative side, hugging him tight. “Thank you so much!”

“No problemo, Padre!” Roman chucked, hugging him back. ****


	2. Logan

******** Logan sighed, removing his glasses and rubbing at his tired eyes. He slid his glasses back on and glanced at the clock: _  3:52AM _

He stood, his eyes scanning the many papers that lay scattered across his desk, his floor, his bed. He couldn’t escape the workload, couldn’t relax until it was done. He had to make Thomas’ schedules, had to list his responsibilities: In alphabetical order, order of importance, order of time taken to complete each task.

His heart sank when he realised he hadn’t written the list of tasks Thomas had completed during the previous day. He felt his eyes burn, his chest grown heavy, his head pound.

“What… is this?” Logan whispered, bringing his fingers to his now damp cheek.

“Those are tears, Teach.” Logan jumped, turning to face Roman. The creative side had never seen the logical side in such a state. “When was the last time you slept?”

“I…”

“Don’t know?” Roman finished. “Right, bed.”

“But-” Logan stopped when Roman gripped his lower arms.

“Stop. Bed. Now.”

“I can’t…” Logan whispered, shocking Roman. Never had he seen the logical side so fragile… breakable…

“Why not?” Roman asked softly. Logan looked down.

“I have to… Thomas… I-I need to-”

“You can’t even focus on what you’re meant to be doing, how are you going to focus on actually doing it?” Roman asked. “Isn’t the logical thing to do… sleep? You’ll function better after a rest.” Logan couldn’t speak anymore. He was too tired. He merely nodded.

With a click of Roman’s fingers, Logan was in his bed, his mess of paper in neat piles. Logan removed his glasses, placing them on his bedside table, before Roman suddenly shoved a ball of fluff into Logan’s face.

“What’s this?” Logan asked.

“A puppy.” Roman beamed as Logan took the puppy from him. “She’s sleepy to, so she’ll just lie with you until you wake up.”

“But why?”

“Comfort.” Roman shrugged. The puppy licked at Logan’s face, earning a soft chuckle. “Here! Have another for good measure!” He pushed another puppy into Logan’s arms. The two puppies lay down on the bed besides Logan, one either side, an unexplainable warmth flowing through his body.

“It is appreciated, Roman.” Logan muttered, unable to keep his eyes open. Roman pressed a kiss to Logan’s forehead.

“No problem, nerd.” ****


	3. Virgil

 

Virgil curled up in the corner of his room, his knees drawn to his chest and his hood pulled over his eyes. His breathing was erratic, and his room felt like it was closing in on him, the shadows waiting for their moment to strike, the silence waiting for it’s moment to scream.

He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see, couldn’t- oh, god, no, it was horrible, he couldn’t- how- wh-why couldn’t he… He couldn’t breathe… was he going to- to die? He didn’t want to die, not really, not now, not when things were getting better, they were better, why wasn’t he breathing right? Why couldn’t he just  _ fucking  _ breathe…?

“Breathe, Virgil… 4, 7, 8, remember? I’m gonna count, okay. 1, 2, 3, 4. Come on, Virgil, you have to breathe.”

Virgil couldn’t place who was speaking, but he trusted them. He trusted that it was his famILY and not one of the dark sides… What if it was one of the dark sides.

“Wh-who…?”

“Roman. Breathe, Virgil. 1, 2, 3, 4.” Virgil breathed in. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.” Virgil held his breath, then released it. “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.”

Virgil repeated the action until he’d calmed considerably.

“Okay?” Roman asked. Virgil nodded. “Can I touch you?”

“S-sure…” Virgil whispered. Roman placed a hand on Virgil’s shoulder comfortingly. “I-I’m sorry…”

“Hey, no, don’t be sorry.” Roman whispered. “We all have to fight monsters sometimes, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Logan wouldn’t do this… O-or Patton… Or you…”

“Don’t be so sure.” Roman smiled. “I know Patton cries, and I know Logan cries. Rarely, but he does. It’s okay for you to cry too.”

“Do… do you cry?”

“Sometimes, yes.” Roman hated admitting it, but Virgil needed to hear it. “But do you know what helps?”

“What?”

“PUPPIES!” With a click of his fingers, Virgil’s room was full of puppies. Not one puppy, or two puppies, but around 30 yapping puppies, all jumping and scrabbling over each other to lick at Virgil’s face. Virgil giggled.

Actually giggled.

Achievement unlocked.

“Thanks, Princey.” Virgil smiled at him. Roman saluted.

“Not a problem, friendo.” ****


	4. Roman

 

Roman’s body wracked with each sob that was muffled by his hand over his mouth, his other hand clutching at the red sash he draped over his shoulder.

He couldn’t help the choked sobs and gasps that escaped his throat. His eyes burned, his throat burned, his chest ached, his head  _ hurt _ . Is this what Patton felt on a bad day? What Logan felt when he was overworked? What Virgil felt when he panicked? Was he even  _ allowed _  to feel like this?

_ You’re pathetic, Roman. _

“No…”

_ You can’t do anything right. _

“Shut up...”

_ No-one even wants you here! _

“Stop it!”

_ “Roman? Kiddo, are you okay?” _

Roman gasped, clamping his hand harder over his mouth. He couldn’t be seen, not like this.

“I’m grandy, dandy and sweet as candy.” He choked out, forcing a calm and collected voice.

_ “Okay. Come down for dinner soon, okay? Don’t want you growing hungry.” _

“Thanks, Padre.” He clamped his hand over his mouth again, waiting until Patton’s footsteps faded before allowing himself to sob again.

Eventually, he collected himself, cleaned himself up and left the room, fulfilling his promise to join his famILY for dinner.

“Hey, Kiddo!” Patton beamed, placing several plates on the table.

“Patton was worried.” Logan spoke up from the table. “He thought he heard shouting from your room.”

“Have you been fighting dragon-witches again?” Virgil asked. Roman didn’t question that he was sat in the sink.

“Maybe.” The prince smirked.

“So… you’re definitely okay, yeah?” Virgil asked. Logan looked up, expecting an answer.

“Yep.” Roman lied. “No problem at all.”


	5. Roman (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many of you were sad for Roman, so I fixed it XD Xx

“Thanks for dinner, Padre!” Roman smiled as he stood. “Now… if you’ll excuse me, I have dreams to make.” He raised his hand in his usual majestic pose and sank down. Patton slammed his hands on the table, making everyone jump.

“I have an announcement!”

“As do I.” Logan also stood.

“If you’re going to say Princey’s acting weird then you may as well sit down because it’s blatantly obvious." Patton and Logan sat back down. “Any idea what could be bothering him? I mean… Thomas hasn’t messed up any auditions recently, or had any nightmares.”

“Maybe the Dragon-Witch upset him?” Patton suggested.

“Or maybe… the problem isn’t him, but us.” Logan whispered.

“What do you mean?” Patton asked.

“When was the last time we told him we… love him?” Logan asked. Virgil and Patton looked down.

“When Thomas made us say ‘I love you’ on camera…” Patton sighed. “You think he feels unappreciated?”

“It is likely… But I have identified a pattern with Roman: He is always in high spirits when one of us is experiencing a low mood. He is the one to offer comfort and… offer puppies…” Logan couldn’t help his smile. “Yet we have never seen him in a state where we could offer comfort.”

“Because he’s hiding it.” Virgil finished for him.

“Precisely.” Logan adjusted his glasses. “We have never seen him experience a low mood, and since everyone has their highs and lows, I can only come to the conclusion that Roman doesn’t want us to know when he is in a low mood. But he is in one now, that much is obvious, and we should aim to help him.”

“With puppies?” Patton asked.

“If puppies cheered Roman up, he would conjure them himself, but I have never heard a puppy from his room, nor seen one by his side, apart from the fiasco during the Nostalgia video. Perhaps puppies do not have the desired effect on Roman.”

“Why not?” Virgil asked.

“Because he is giving himself the puppies. When he conjures puppies for us, they come with that feeling of being loved enough for Roman to want to help in the first place. He does not receive that feeling of being loved, and likely feels worse than he originally felt.”

“So… The puppies don’t help because he doesn’t feel loved?” Patton asked.

“Precisely. A gift from oneself is not a gift of love.”

“So, we need to do something for him to cheer him up?” Virgil asked. Logan nodded.

“That would be the logical solution, yes…”

“But how…?” Patton muttered. Everyone sat and thought for a moment, wracking their brains for anything that could help the secretly struggling side.

“FISH!” Logan shouted excitedly, standing so fast his chair fell back. Virgil and Patton jumped, their hands flying to their chests as Logan calmed himself down. “My apologies…” He whispered, adjusting his tie.

“You… have our attention…” Virgil glared cautiously at the Logical side.

“In 2004, a study was conducted by Purdue to determine if the presence of an aquarium in a waiting room changes the stress rates of patients. The results concluded that the patients’ anxiety had reduced around 12%, hence why most Doctor and Dentist waiting rooms now possess an aquarium.”

“Fish are calming…” Virgil smiled. “But Roman’s not gonna appreciate a bowl of fish.”

“That’s why I have a better plan.” Logan smirked. “But to do that, we need Roman’s room.”

-

After a small chat with Thomas, their plan was underway. Thomas called Roman for a ‘chat’, and Logan, Patton and Virgil snuck into Roman’s room.

“God, it looks like a mix between a honeymoon room in a really posh hotel and a 9 year olds room…” Virgil muttered, looking around. 

Roman’s bed was huge, red silk sheets draped over it. There were model Princes, Princesses and knights lined up on a shelf, complete with a dragon-witch. There were wall tapestries and paintings of castles, and a shield on the gentle, cream walls. Opposite the bed, there was a door.

“Walk in wardrobe?” Virgil asked. Patton scanned the models, realising each prince, princess and knight looked like Thomas’ friends. Even the four of them were there.

“Dream scape.” Logan explained, opening the door. Virgil and Patton walked in, followed by Logan. The room was white, like when they created the mind palace. Virgil pulled his hood up.

“We’re gonna make fish in here?” Patton asked.

“Indeed. I was inspired by the Doctor Who christmas special several years back, where the 11th Doctor found a planet that possessed fish, which swam through electrical crystalline fog rather than water.”

“So… flying fish?” Virgil muttered.

“Yes.” Logan sighed, adjusting his glasses. “Flying fish…”

“How do we make them?” Patton asked, clapping his hands together excitedly. Logan smirked.

-

_ “A toast to the Groom.”  _ Thomas sang smoothly to the music in the background.

_ “To the groom, to the groom, to the groom.”  _ Roman joined in the song, singing back-up.

_ “To the bride.” _

_ “To the bride. To the bride. Bride.” _

_ “From your Sister.” _

_ “Angelica. Angelica.” _

_ “Who is always by your side.” _

_ “By your side. By your side.” _

_ “To your union. _

_ “To the union! The revolution!” _

_ “And the hope that you provide.”  _ Thomas didn’t look up when Logan appeared.

_ “Provide. Provide.” _

_ “May you always.” _

_ “Always.” _

_ “Be satisfied.” _

_ “Rewind.” _

_ “I remember that night, I just might,”  _ Logan interrupted, adjusting his glasses as he received Roman and Thomas’ attention. _ “Regret that night for the rest of my days, I remember those soldier boys, Tripping over themselves to win our praise, I remember that dreamlike candlelight, Like a dream that you can't quite place, But Alexander, I'll never forget the first time I saw your face, I have never been the same, Intelligent eyes in a hunger-pang frame, And when you said "Hi," I forgot my dang name, Set my heart aflame, ev'ry part aflame, This is not a game.” _

“Whoo!” Roman and Thomas clapped and cheered.

“Thank you, Thomas, for distracting Roman. I will take him now.”

“Awesome.” Thomas smiled. “See you later.”

“Goodbye, Thomas. Oh, do try to drink something.” Logan took Roman’s arm. Thomas nodded.

“Will do.”

Logan sank out with Roman before pulling him up into the dreamscape.

“What’s going on?” Roman asked, pulling his arm from Logan’s grip. Logan smiled, looking up. Roman followed his gaze and gasped.

They stood on an empty street, the scene damp and low-lit by the streetlights. The fog glowed from under the moon, but it wasn’t just the beautiful victorian era setting that had Roman mesmerised.

It was the groups of fish swimming around.

There were so many breeds,so many colours, so many  _ fish _ .

“Woah…” Roman whispered, looking around, watching a small school of fish swim past him. “You… did this for me…?” Roman asked.

“Of course we did.” Patton made himself known, throwing his arms around Roman. “You’re allowed to be sad, Kiddo… Just… tell us so we can help you.”

“I-I…” Roman swallowed guiltily. “I didn’t want to bring you all down…”

“Princey, don’t be anxious. That’s my job.” Virgil spoke up. Roman pulled away from Patton and followed the anxious sides voice, only to find him on the back of a shark. He chuckled.

“You’re anxious about whether Thomas’ hot chocolate is too hot, but you’re not afraid to sit on a shark?”

“Virgil insisted…” Logan adjusted his glasses, watching a jellyfish settling besides him.

“Thank you…” Roman whispered. “Really, thank you… I… No-one’s ever done something so amazing for me before…”

“Thank Logan, he came up with the idea.” Virgil muttered, standing on the shark with every intention of surfing on it.

“Not thanks are necessary, Roman.” Logan smirked. “Just… tell us when you’re in a low mood next time. Can we… agree on that?”

“Sure.” Roman smiled. “Thanks, Buddy.”

“Roman, behind you!” Patton squealed. Roman turned to see a small clown fish.

“Hi, Marlin. Looking for your Son?” Roman asked. Patton and Virgil sniggered, while Logan rolled his eyes fondly. The clown fish puffed it’s fins out, trying to look bigger, but Roman couldn’t help but laugh at how  _ tiny _ it was. “I wish you the best of luck on your quest.” He bowed, watching as the fish turned and left.

“Nerd.” Virgil muttered from the shark. Roman chuckled.

“Emo.”

“Did we do good, Lo?” Patton whispered to the logical side, who was poking a puffer fish with the rubber end of his pencil. The puffer fish puffed up, earning a satisfied hum from Logan.

“I can conclude…” Logan smiled. “Problem solved.”


End file.
